Chasing Shadows
by howrse199
Summary: Tori, a skilled inhuman assassin has learned to kill her targets without discrimination or emotion. She has never failed to complete a job. However, when her next target is Ciel Phantomhive, Tori discovers that she isn't the apathetic kill machine she once believed herself to be. Rated Teen for Language, Violence, and mild sexual content. Please review if you want me to continue.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I land with a soft thump and tuck my wings into my sides. The glistening black feathers shine in the pale glow of a half moon as I leap forward. I only have one job- to kill the Phantomhive child, Ciel. My employer is a rich English bastard who hired me to kill the boy out of spite and greed—without Ciel around the Funtom Toy Corporation would crumble and the market would be his for the taking. I hate humans like that—dogs who would stain their hands in blood before they relinquished an opportunity to pick up a few more pennies. _But, _I think, _dogs like that pay the bills. _One assassination pays for several months of living comfortably, and it only takes several hours of my time. There isn't an easier job in the world. It used to bother me, killing all of these people, but over the past hundred years or so I finally let go of the guilt and accepted the fact that I'm a killer, and that I enjoy killing. I mean, everything about me screams deadly—my speed, agility, strength, and weapons. In fact, the two swords that rest on my back at the moment have helped me end more lives than I care to count, and tonight, they will help me end another. I crouch behind a grimy wall as a carriage whirls past and then sprint toward the door of Ciel's London townhouse. I quickly leap up and climb the wall of the townhouse, flying toward the 3rd floor, where I know Ciel is located. I pause outside the window and listen. I hear the murmur of several voices, and I can immediately detect Ciel's, which is much higher pitched than the others. I take a deep breath in and prepare myself as adrenaline shoots through my veins. Blood pounds in my ears as I crash through the window. The next 60 seconds are a blur, as everyone scrambles about in confusion. I somehow manage to locate the boy in the clamor and I leap toward him, sliding my swords out of their sheaths with a hiss. I whip the left one around and prepare to impale him with the silver weapon. But just as I'm about to skewer Ciel through the heart, a blur slams into me, shoving me away from Ciel and onto the glass on the ground. The shards dig into the skin on my back and draws blood. I snarl in pain and fury as my head cracks onto the hardwood of the apartment's floor and glare up at my attacker. What I see shocks me. A tall skinny man with long black hair, pale skin, and blood red eyes stares down at me. _How in the fucking hell did such a string bean manage to take me down?_ I wonder, mystified.

Out loud, I snarl, "Back the fuck off unless you want to die dumb ass."

"Oh, so I assume you think that you can kill me?" he asks politely.

Instead of answering, I throw myself at him. My right blade whips around and digs into the skin of his forearm, creating a cut 6 inches long and several inches deep. The scent of his blood makes me dizzy. It takes every ounce of my self control not to lick the blood from his forearm and suck his entire body dry. To placate myself I lash out with my right blade, aiming for his neck and a kill shot. The blade whizzes toward him and a second before it touches his skin, he jerks forward and avoids the weapon. I barely have time to process this before he impales me with a knife. Then another knife, and another, and another. Within a few seconds, my torso is full of 9 of the shiny silver knives. I gasp in agony as the blood spurts out of the wounds. I yank the knives out of my skin and discover that the blades that speared me so perfectly are _butter _knives. Jesus Christ who is this guy? A fucking chef? I manage to gather the strength to ask him as much.

He replies with a sly grin, "Why, I am merely one hell of a butler."

I try to retaliate with a bitingly sarcastic remark, but blood gurgles up out of my mouth and I choke on the stuff, spraying it out of my mouth in a fountain of scarlet. The butler leans toward me, grinning, as I black out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I wake up, the first thing I register is a bright light. A bright, fucking light for god sakes. Oh great. I guess the vampire's going to heaven isn't she. How ironic. I shift my body and groan loudly as I register just how sore I actually am. I lift up my head in an effort to avoid the light and check out the rest of my surroundings. I'm in a darkened room with a lamp hanging from the ceiling. I'm tied down to a small cot with wire and have been gagged with a (thankfully) clean white cloth. The rest of the room is empty, with dark hardwood floors and grey stone walls. The door that could let me escape is heavy and wooden, and most certainly locked. I yank my arms upward and the wire slices into them. I know that I can break them, but doing so would cut my wrists to the bone. My mind quickly scrambles for solutions to this problem, but I come up short. I haven't a clue what to do. So I wait. And wait. Finally, the door cracks open, and a maid walks in. She carries a tray of food with her. She walks toward me nervously and sets the tray down. My green eyes watch her the whole time. She backs up shakily, never taking her eyes off mine. They must have told her some pretty crazy shit about me for her to look at me like that. The last time someone looked so scared of me was a woman who's husband I had previously decapitated. Right when the maid reaches the door, I decide to have some fun with her. I curl my lip back and let a long, guttural snarl roll out from between my teeth. She turns white as a sheet, bows, scurries out of the room, and the slams the heavy door shut. I can hear the click of the lock and she seals the prison once again. I glance at the tray of food, which rests on the floor. I roll my eyes at the stupidity of the maid. The idiot must have been so terrified of me that she forgot that I couldn't reach the food from my place on the cot. Not that I would've eaten it anyway. It seems that not much appeals to me other than blood these days. I haven't eaten food in 148 years. I can't even remember what it tastes like anymore. I only had twenty two of my one hundred and seventy years to savor the taste of human feasts. The bread, cheese, water, and apple in front of me are as unappealing to me as grass is to a human. I shut my eyes tight, hoping to pass the dull hours with some (hopefully) dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When I wake again I'm in a different room, and there's no blinding light. I am no longer tied up and am sitting in a plush armchair in a fancy ass drawing room.

I swivel my head around and my eyes narrow as they land on the skinny butler in the corner. I snarl, intending to scare him, but he simply chuckles. Who the fuck does this guy think he is? I glare at him again when he opens his mouth.

"It is not very polite or ladylike to snarl in such a way miss."

I ball up my hands, digging my long, sharp nails into my wrists.

"The hell it is asshole."

He frowns, no longer amused.

"I would kindly ask you to stop speaking in such an uncouth matter."

I'm about to snarl at him again when I glance down and realize that I am not actually attached to the chair. Without a second thought I hurl myself at him, my wings tightly tucked into my sides.

Just as I'm about to latch on to his throat, he sidesteps around me and grabs one of my wings. He rips it backward and I scream in agony. Forget wanting to know who he is. What the fuck is he? No average human could move that fast or be so strong.

The butler lets go of my wing and my shoulder slams into a side table, splitting the wood into hundreds of shards. I hold up my injured wing at an awkward angle and push myself up into a standing position.

Splinters from the table have punctured my right side and blood oozes out of the wounds. I yank out the pieces of wood and wince. These injuries shouldn't take more than a few hours to heal completely, as they are fairly minor. I look up and glare at the man standing about 10 feet away from me. He stares at me and asks, "Would you like to stop behaving like an animal so that we can discuss the situation at hand like civilized people?"

I roll my shoulders around a few times.

"We both know that neither of us is human, and I sure as hell am not civilized. So, we can talk, but I have no guarantee that the discussion will be civilized or normal."

I walk toward the chair that I was seated in previously and sit down. I cross my legs and pull them up onto the chair with the rest of me. I always sit this way. I honestly don't know why.

The butler walks toward me but pauses a few yards away from me.

"So, who are you? Why did you try to kill the young master and who do you work for? What exactly are you?"

I hold up my hands.

"Whoa. Not so many questions at once. My name is Tori. I work as an assassin and the Little Brook Company hired me to kill Ciel, because they wanted to control the toy market."

"You didn't answer my last question—what are you?"

I look down at my hands. What exactly am I? I have wings, a thirst for blood, immortality, and incredible speed and strength. I suppose that I'm a vampire, but I have no aversion to holy water, garlic, or crosses. I don't sleep in a coffin, and the sunlight doesn't burn me, although I am naturally nocturnal. So, what am I?

I announce my complicated makeup to the butler waiting in the corner. He nods.

"I see. I have never met a creature such as yourself, Tori. My name is Sebastian, and I am the butler to the Phantomhive household."

"That's all well and good, but what are you? No human could beat me in a fight."

"Perhaps you think a little too much of your skills?"

"I'm quite confident in my abilities, thank you very much," I sniff, annoyed, "so answer the damn question."

Sebastian grins and I notice the color of his eyes for the very first time. They are a vivid crimson, the color of freshly spilt blood. My throat burns at the thought of blood.

"If you must know, I am a demon. Ciel summoned me from the depths of Hell, and created a contract with me. When I fulfill the contract, I will take his soul and consume it."

My eyes widen. A demon? Demons are the stuff of nightmares; demons do not exist. I mentally slap myself for my idiocy. I'm a vampire and I think it is illogical for demons to exist? How much of a hypocrite can I be?

I laugh out loud. Sebastian looks confused so I say, "It's nothing. But I was wondering, why am I still alive at the moment? I tried to kill your master and yet I am still sitting here talking to you."

Sebastian thinks for a moment and then replies, "Ciel is interested in finding out more about you. He noticed your strength and speed and his curiosity got the better of him. I also think that he wants a creature with ability to beat me in a fight. And finally, I myself wanted another person to guard the young master. His enemies are stirring more than usual you see."

I sit back and process this information and then look at the butler again.

"What makes you think that I would stay here and guard Ciel?"

"I would not force you to guard Ciel. However, if you decline this offer, I will have to kill you. Also, I thought that it might be nice for you to have a more stabilized life. Being an assassin 24/7 must get tiring."

I laugh, "Indeed it does. But I am a monster. What makes you think that I would be a trustworthy bodyguard, especially since I just tried to kill the person you want me to guard?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

My blood splatters against the dark, grimy stone of the alleyway. I wince as the grim reaper leaps toward me, his death scythe rotating with a speed that I have never seen the likes of. I leap to the side just before the blade gores me through my abdomen, but I am not quick enough to dodge his next swing. The shining piece of metal whips around and catches my left side, cracking 5 ribs and creating a gash that is both long and deep.

Grell chuckles.

"Tired of fighting me yet? I would hope not, because the blood that spills from your veins is a stunning ruby river. With you covered in this lovely red, you are infinitely more beautiful."

I try to reply, but I cough and more blood splatters to the ground. I am weak. Weaker than I have ever been in a fight. There's the possibility that I might even die today.

Grell faces me, grinning from ear to ear. His blade whirs in the still night air. My vision becomes fuzzy as I fight to remain standing. He charges at me and I stumble trying to avoid the scythe. The blade gleams as it races toward my neck. I seal my eyes shut. So. Its finally the end. After 166 years of walking this earth, I will finally move on to something else, be it heaven, hell or something else.

The blade whirs closer and closer, but the moment it cuts into my skin in pulls away. I lose the last bit of balance that I have and slam into the ground, confused. I manage to twist my head around. What I see shocks me. Sebastian is next to me, trying desperately to fend off the death scythe, which grinds into the stone behind him.

I don't understand how Sebastian could've gotten here so fast. Just a second ago, Madame Red and Grell revealed their true identities as the two halves of Jack the Ripper. Ciel must have somehow contacted them. Ciel. Where the fucking hell is that kid?

I manage to turn my head to the side again and see him, pinned up against the wall by his aunt. Horror clouds my vision, for Madame Red is holding a knife to his throat. Sebastian notices this as well. I can see the strain on his face, but there really isn't anything he can do. If he lets go of the death scythe, it will slice deeply into his shoulder.

I swore to Sebastian 2 months ago that I would protect Ciel, and I have no intention of breaking this promise. Using my last reserves of strength, I haul my body up off the ground and lunge toward Madame Red. Right as the knife flashes toward Ciel's throat, I slam into her.

The woman flies backward several feet into the wall of the alleyway and crumbles to the ground. I guess a hundred or so pounds of flesh can pick up a lot of momentum when traveling over 50 mph.

My legs shake in exhaustion as I crumble to the cool stone, barely able to control my movements. I automatically throw my hands out in front of me to break my fall, and I realize a second too late why this is so foolish. Both of my wrists crack as they slam into the slabs of rock, and I shriek in pain.

Sebastian turns his head to look at me, responding to my bloodcurdling scream. I can barely croak out a warning before Grell takes advantage of his distraction, but the butler does not react nearly fast enough. Grell whips the chainsaw around and catches Sebastian in the chest, producing a gushing river of scarlet.

"No!" I scream. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not Sebastian. Anyone but him. Because, as much I'd like to deny it, over the past 2 months, I've grown to love that demon.

After I agreed to protect Ciel, I began to live at the Phanotomhive manor. Life was so much easier there. There wasn't any reason to kill, and as much as I love fighting, it was refreshing. For once in my life, it seemed that I wasn't hurting anything or anyone. Ciel is now like a little brother to me; the two of us have occasional spats but otherwise get along well. The servants at the manor are bit clumsy and foolish but they have good hearts. And Sebastian. There's just something about that butler that makes me need him more than any other person on this earth. There's something about him that makes me feel OK inside; that makes me feel whole again; that makes my tangled seem unimportant. There's something about him that I fell in love with.

I yank myself out of my reverie and survey the scene before me with horror. Sebastian falls toward the ground as Grell screams, "SHOW ME A BEAUTIFUL AND FASCINATING LIFE MOVIE!"

Blood spurts from the wound in his chest as flesh collides with stone. An intense rage flies through my veins at the sight. I cannot handle this. I need to kill. No one should be able to get away with hurting Sebastian.

Adrenaline rushes through me and I can no longer feel my injuries. I launch myself at Grell as Grell tries to review Sebastian's life story. The second before I reach Grell, I think that I will have the opportunity to end his life. But right before my talons can dig into his back, he wheels around and gores me through the chest, cracking my sternum and piercing my heart.

Blood spurts out of both my mouth and my chest. I hit the ground and my energy is finally depleted. I try to pull myself up onto my palms, but the broken wrists twist around uselessly as I put pressure on them.

In that moment I gave up. I let my head crack against the ground but the pain couldn't even hold a candle to the pain of seeing Sebastian being killed. I swivel my eyes around the alley, desperate to see him just one last time. When I find him, I almost cry out. He's crouched against the wall, his body torn from Grell's weapon. And his red eyes are looking directly into mine, as they have so many times before. They're really not a bad thing to see before you die. So clear and rich; Sebastian's eyes look like they could tell you a life story all on their own. With a sigh I let my eyelids slide closed for what I'm sure is the last time. I have failed. Sebastian will die. But at least I won't be around to see a world without him in it.


End file.
